St. Nikolai's words from the mid-twentieth century are still relevant for American Orthodoxy today.📖 An excerpt from: St Nikolai Velimirovich on Orthodoxy in America & Its Futurehttps://www.orthodoxhistory.org/2018/07/18/st-nikolai-velimirovich-orthodoxy-america-future/🎧 Orthodoxy in the USA - Fr. Seraphim Rosehttps://youtu.be/RIV6f31AWhY🎧 The Seven Phrases Christ Spoke on the Cross - St. Nikolai Velimirovićhttps://youtu.be/_AXpyZVw1pg⛪ FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodox-world.org/https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/🎁Support my work here:https://buymeacoffee.com/orthodoxwisdom_______St. Nikolai teaches:Personally, I have a deep admiration for these old Orthodox generations in America, both for those who passed away in the Faith, and for those who are still living by their faith. They have been a spiritual and constructive component of the New World’s humanity. I dare say that in their own way they have been heroic generations no less than other national groups, now blended into one great American nation. In their modesty these humble people never expected a poet to laud them or a historian to describe them.Alas, the last of these old Orthodox generations is rapidly passing away. Their sons and grandsons, and their daughters and granddaughters are now coming to the field. And this new generation is American born. They speak good English but little or no Greek, Serbian, Russian, Rumanian, Syrian or Albanian. And no wonder: They attended American schools, many of them served in the US army, they have grown in conformity with the American standard of living, their hearts are not divided between two countries. They are naturally Americans, and they intend to remain American. Accordingly, they have some demands respecting the Church of their fathers.They want English to replace national languages in church services. They desire to hear sermons in English. This is a legitimate desire. Our wise priests of every national Orthodox Church in this country are already preaching in both English and in their respective national tongue. They are in a difficult position at present, for they have on one hand to be considerate of the elderly (elderly generations of Moms and Pops) who do not understand English well, and on the other hand they are willing to respond to the desire and need of the younger generations. In this matter I think evolution is better than revolution, for the Church is the mother of both the old and the young.The time may not be far off when there will be a united Orthodox Church in America, which will include all the present Eastern national Churches in this country, a Church with one central administrative authority. I see a tendency toward such an end in each of our now individual Churches. … And when by God’s Providence the time is ripe for the accomplishment of such a unity, I dare not doubt that the venerable heads of all our Orthodox Churches in Europe, Asia, and Africa, always led by the Holy Spirit, will give their blessing for the organization of a new and autonomous sister Church in America.

Wisdom from the desert fathers of early Orthodox monasticism regarding welcoming others, showing hospitality, fasting, breaking one's own fast, among other matters. Note: Geronda is Greek for "Elder"📖 Text is from the Gerondikon (Sayings of the Desert Fathers)https://stanthonysmonastery.org/products/the-sayings-of-the-desert-fathers?srsltid=AfmBOooimpVQkQjsICBvWiDr87lPYCY9j_S5hpuDZY_C1VEyzk2DTyfT🎧 The 38 Sayings of St. Anthony the Greathttps://youtu.be/YNh81oWWJUc🎧 On Divine Fear - Abba Dorotheos of Gazahttps://youtu.be/7CHHNtUv2YQ🎧 Life in the Last Times - Abba Pambo (Sayings of the Desert Fathers)https://youtu.be/x9QlurpEwfk⛪ FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodox-world.org/https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/🎁Support my work here:https://buymeacoffee.com/orthodoxwisdom_______5. A brother came to Abba Poemen in the second week of Lent to seek some advice about his thoughts, and when he had received the answer he said, "I was not quite sure whether to come to you today or not." "Why not?" the geronda said. "I was afraid that seeing it was Lent you would not open your door to me," he replied. And Abba Poemen said, "I do not know anything about shutting a door of wood. It is the door of the tongue that we need to keep shut."7. A brother visited a certain anchorite and when it came time to leave he said, "Forgive me, abba, I have hindered you in your rule of life." "My rule," he said, "is to welcome you with love and send you on your way in peace."12. There was a monk of the Thebaid whose gift from God was to minister to the poor according to their need. It so happened once that when giving out charity somewhere in a village, a woman came to him dressed in very shabby old clothes. Seeing her dressed so poorly impelled him to put his hand in his pocket and give her a considerable sum, but when he opened his hand it contained almost nothing. There was another woman there very well dressed and her clothing made him want to give her very little, but when he opened his hand it contained a large sum. After making enquiries about both the women he learned that the well-dressed one was an honest woman who had fallen on very hard times and had been given the good clothing because of her family's reputation, whereas the other one had deliberately worn shabby clothing in the hope of being given more._______Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!

St. Paisios arms us with the knowledge of how the devil works, how we can overcome his deceptions, and how to unite ourselves to Christ. "The devil can harm us only if," teaches St. Paisios, "we allow him to have power over us."

0:00 Intro

0:15 When We Sin We Give Rights to Temptation

3:21 Confession Deprives the Devil of His Rights

5:51 The Devil Will Not Approach a Pure Creature of God

10:02 We Should Not Start a Conversation With the Devil

11:43 The Devil is Weak

16:29 The Devil is Dumb

20:48 The Reason That God Allows the Devil to Tempt Us

24:55 The Devil Does Not Want to Repent

29:38 Humility Destroys the DevilReading from “Spiritual Counsels, Vol. 1: With Pain and Love for Contemporary Man”, p. 52-69📖 Spiritual Counsels, Vol. I: With Pain and Love for Contemporary Man by St. Paisioshttps://www.holycross.org/products/with-pain-and-love-for-contemporary-man-elder-paisios?srsltid=AfmBOooG0oxZfwjniLoIMF1LXDQHdMBKr8W6eXoQxM2xf-AEqHLNx31u🎧 The Struggle Against Thoughts - St. Paisios the Athonitehttps://youtu.be/5sN-zHdnjto🎧 Everyone Needs a Spiritual Father - St. Paisios the Athonitehttps://youtu.be/xaSeWRcJPHo🎧 Fighting the Passions - Archbishop Theophan of Poltavahttps://youtu.be/tNYLK80dFvA🎧 Holiness is in the Struggle! - Elder Athanasios Mitilinaioshttps://youtu.be/Qhm2ffdEBsc⛪ FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodox-world.org/https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/🎁Support my work here:https://buymeacoffee.com/orthodoxwisdom_______St. Paisios teaches:There is so much demonic influence in the world today. The devil is roaming free because people have given him the right to do so and they are vulnerable to horrific attacks by him. Once someone rightly said: "In the old days the devil was preoccupied with human beings; not anymore. He shows people the way, tells them 'farewell', and off they go." It's terrible! You see, when the demons wanted to enter the swine in the country of the Gadarenes, they asked for Christ's permission — since the swine had not given the devil an excuse, he did not have the right to possess them! Christ allowed this to happen so that the Israelites, who were forbidden from eating pork, may be punished.The devil can harm us only if we allow him to have power over us. Those who do not participate in the Mysteries of the Church give rights to temptation and become vulnerable to demonic influence.-Geronda, in what other ways can one give rights to the devil? -Rationalism, contradiction, stubbornness, willfulness, disobedience, and insolence all are qualities of the devil. People are vulnerable to the degree that they have these qualities. But when the soul is purified, the Holy Spirit enters a man and fills him with Grace. On the contrary, when it is infected with mortal sin, the unclean spirit dwells in him. When, again, the soul is not mortally infected, then, it is merely under the influence of the evil spirit.

-Geronda, the demons scare me. -What are you afraid of? The devil has no power. Christ is All-powerful. The tempter is rotten. Don't you wear a cross? The devil's weapons are weak. Christ has armed us with His Cross. Only when we abandon our spiritual armour is the enemy strong. An Orthodox priest had only to show a small cross to a sorcerer and the demon he had invoked started trembling.Humility has great power and destroys the devil. It is the strongest shock that we can give the devil. Where there is humility there is no place for him. And where there is no devil, there are, of course, no temptations.Pray that we might continuously give joy to Christ and distress to the devil, since the devil happens to like hell so much that he does not want to repent.